Senate again questions Supreme Court nominee: US election news

The third day of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett has begun. President Trump, who campaigns in Iowa on Wednesday, will appear in an NBC News town hall on Thursday to counter Joe Biden’s ABC News town hall held in lieu of their second debate. As of Wednesday, early and mail-in voters had already cast more than 13 million votes, nearly 10 percent of all votes cast in the 2016 presidential election, according to the US Elections Project. Early voting begins in Kansas, Rhode Island and Tennessee with 20 days left until the November 3 election. Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the United States elections. This is Joseph Stepansky. Wednesday, October 14: 10:45 ET – Minnesota health officials connect coronavirus infections to campaign events Health officials in Minnesota have connected two dozen coronavirus cases to people who attended presidential campaign events in the past month, amid a surge of cases in the state, according to the New York Times. Officials said 16 of the cases were connected to a September 18 airport rally held by Trump. While that rally was held outside, the crowd observed little social distancing and many did not wear masks.Four of those infected had gone to the rally to protest Trump, officials told the newspaper. Three people who attended a September 30 Trump rally in Duluth, and three people who attended a September 24 rally hosted by Vice President Mike Pence in the state also tested positive. One person who attended a September 16 even for Biden in Duluth later contracted the virus, according to the newspaper. Supporters of Trump look on as Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Duluth International Airport in Duluth, Minnesota [File: Leah Millis/Reuters] 10:15 ET – Wide margin in early Democrat voting in Florida: Report Democrats have outvoted Republicans in early voting by a margin of 384,000, according to Politico. The number is significant because Republicans usually slightly outpace Democrats at this point in presidential races in early voting. Analysts in the state told the news site that Republicans will likely make up the difference in the coming weeks, with hundreds of thousands of high-propensity Republican voters who have not yet cast their ballots. 10:00 ET – Graham calls Barrett ‘unashamedly pro-life’ Senator Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, hailed Barrett on Wednesday as “unashamedly pro-life”. “This is history being made folks,” Graham said at the beginning of the first day of the hearing. “This is the first time in American history that we’ve nominated a woman who is unashamedly pro-life and embraces her faith without apology, and she’s going to the court. A seat at the table is waiting for you.” “It will be a great signal to all young women who share your view of the world,” Graham added. Under questioning by Graham, Barrett reiterated her comments from Tuesday that the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognised a woman’s constitutional right to abortion was not a “super-precedent” that could never potentially be overturned. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">